


Piercing Point

by thesubtleone



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Angelo isnt doing well in this, Angst, Crying, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, discussion of misgendering, sir angelos perfectionism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25632388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesubtleone/pseuds/thesubtleone
Summary: After the events in Milltown there are things that need to be said. Not all of them are pleasant. In fact, none of them are.
Relationships: Ale of milltown & sir angelo, Sir Angelo/Ale of Milltown (Penumbra Podcast)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

Ale knows how to stand, how to hold a sword perfectly balanced, how to use an opponent's strength against them. He knows where tipping points are. He looks at Angelo, with his chest puffed and a heroic facade of an expression and how hes looking somewhere over Ale's left shoulder and makes a call. Sets the stew on the nightstand.  
"Angelo. Look at me."  
It takes him a beat.  
"This isn't a story. You aren't a hero. You're a man."  
And the fissures start to appear. The terror is back in his eyes.  
"And men are allowed to fail."  
And Angelo is gone. Everything hes been reining in with that strength and citadel stance is set free and Angelo crumples under the weight of it all. He curls over himself like hes been kicked in the gut. A low whine twists into the start of "I know," but his voice is full of tremors.  
Ale grips the back of his neck to steady him through the onslaught. "You're allowed to fail, Angelo."  
He's crying now, shoulders and neck shuddering under Ale's hand. "It's not even--. After what I-- I..." he takes a deep breath, "sorry."  
Ale thinks he understands. "It's okay, we'll talk about it later. You've had like, 2 world shattering revelations and no sleep."  
"It's actually been 3." He looks embarrassed to have said that aloud.  
"Regardless, you need sleep, schoolboy."  
"Of course," he assures, wiping his tears away and accepting the bowl of stew handed to him.  
There are occasional sniffles, but it is a spicy stew.  
Ale dutifully retrieves his sword, braces it with his knee to steady it, begins to clean it and tries to fix this mess.  
It takes Angelo so long to speak he almost forgets he's there.  
"It wasn't anything about... you."  
Ale feels like he's missed something.  
Angelo waves his spoon as he tries to sort it out. "Why I couldn't call you a man. It wasn't about you."  
Ale snorts, "so you just go around calling everyone the wrong thing?"  
"No! No, I--!" He sits up straighter, "in another world, where things were simpler, I would never have done that."  
Ale sets his sword down, looking away. "You do know that makes it almost worse? That you could have...not."  
"Yes. But you deserved to know." Ale isn't sure he agrees with the schoolboy on that one, but he hasn't ever been big on what one 'deserves.'  
"Let me wash the dishes. After all, you cooked."  
That shouldn't surprise Ale as much as it does. He looks Angelo over, who looks like hes frozen in place except that his blush keeps getting worse. Ale thinks about the work he has yet to do, and Angelo's restless feet and decides that a chore will help more than hurt. He stands, grabs 4 glasses the others left at the table, hooks an ankle around the tallest sturdiest chair and pulls it out a few inches. Angelo looks either startled or alarmed. "Take the chair and don't forget your bowl." Angelo takes a second to start to get up, and by that time Ale is already in the kitchen. He sets the cups down, shaking the water and beverages off his fingers. Why fill your cup so high if you don't even drink it?  
He hears the chair legs hitting the doorway.  
"I was told not to let you move or stand for too long. The chair seems a good compromise."  
"Ah! A good idea indeed."  
"Angelo. I need you to swear to me that you'll let me save Olala. That you'll stay here."  
"... I. I swear." And he looks torn up about it.  
"Thank you. Call one of the kids if you need anything."  
He ducks his head, nods, and gets to work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this is a short chapter. It's technically a prequel to the last chapter, and we get Angelo's perspective for most of this. The first bit is an Ale section that didn't fit in chapter 1. Also, sorry for any formatting issues, I'm posting from my phone.

The few scraps of conversation he had shared with Angelo were repeating themselves in his mind constantly. And while many have him scowling at the vegetables he chops there are moments that he lingers on. And is it strange for him to smile at that? A wry thing, but a smile nonetheless. From the schoolboy being unable to keep his pronouns feminine, no matter how hard he tried. That the moment he got scared, really, properly scared, it was all "let him go." Ale has never needed validation from others. He's a self made man, and he knows himself down to his bones. But still. It's nice to be seen, even if by a schoolboy who trips over his words and feet and sword.

Sir Angelo the Strong has a problem. More specifically he has 6 problems, consisting of his 3 stab wounds, his pounding headache (an agony which can bring even the mightiest warrior to his knees), and the distressingly handsome swordsman chopping carrots in the other room. He had offered many times to help with the preparation, insisting that he owed it to Ale, but was only met with a disapproving glare and a firm insistence that he was to remain on his cot. Ale seemed subject to the same simmering frustration with the world as Sir Caroline often was, which. Well! It was good that he recognized it! It gave him a base of knowledge to work from!  
Which brought him to his 6th and final problem. He needed to escape and get to Olala.  
Perhaps enough time had passed that...  
He slowly stood up from his cot and began to inch towards the door.  
"Sit down, schoolboy, or I'll knock you out again!"  
Saints, the man had the hearing of a hound! Sir Angelo sighed and collapsed back. There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to escape so long as Ale was in listening distance. And so the 6th problem eluded him once more.  
And the 5th he--. Well. It did no good to dwell on things such as this! Best to ignore it and move on. Try to forget those eyes and that blade and stop, that was quite enough of that.  
He almost wishes Ale was a--  
No. No, that's not true. He doesn't wish that at all. He likes Ale as he is. And Angelo doesn't wish that he himself was.... None of it fits, is the problem. He wishes this was easier.  
Yes, that's it. He wishes he lived in a world where things were simpler. Where Milltown and Olala were never in danger, where Angelo loved men and women both, where he never tried to deny Ale's gender. Somewhere along the line it had all crumbled, and he had no idea where to go next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to have it out in the world before it all gets jossed tomorrow, cause then my perfectionism would force me to re edit it. Not sure if more second citadel will awaken the writing brain, but we'll find out.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more to this, but I'm not sure when


End file.
